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^I?tna’s  /tIUons 


WILLIAM  ASHMORE,  D.  D. 


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CHINA’S  MILLIONS.” 


(( 


You  have  heard  of  them.  You  must  continue  to 
hear  of  them.  They  are  forcing  themselves  on  the 
world’s  attention. 

They  came  into  the  great  plans  of  God.  Until 
they  are  converted,  the  world  will  not  be  converted. 
When  they  turn  to  the  Lord,  then  it  will  no  longer 
be  any  great  goddess  Diana,  but  it  will  be  Jesus 
the  Anointed,  whom  “ all  Asia  and  the  world  wor- 
shippeth.” 

But  great  numbers  in  one  concrete  statement  are 
vague.  Let  us  take  them  in  detail.  The  popula- 
tion of  China  has  been  set  down  at  400,000,000. 
A late  statement,  based  on  partial  returns,  puts  it  at 
382,000,000.  Some  people  are  frightened  at  that ; 
so  we  will  take  the  old  official  census  of  1812,  which 
made  it  360,000,000. 

It  was  a solemn  sight,  and  grandly  impressive, 
when  the  armies  of  the  Lord  in  the  wilderness  took 
up  their  line  of  march.  No  such  review  had  ever 
been  held,  and  none  such  has  ever  been  held  since. 
A nation  of  six  millions  on  the  inarch  from  one 
country  to  another,  by  the  way  of  the  Red  Sea, 
the  wilderness  of  Paran,  and  the  river  Jordan. 
What  a pageant  was  that  which  passed  before 
Moses,  field  marshal  of  the  living  God  ! 

We  speak  of  battalions  and  brigades  going  forth. 


3 


Among  them  it  was  said,  they  went  forth  accord- 
ing to  their  armies, banners  flying  at  the  head  of 
each  army,  and  the  clarion  notes  of  silver  trumpets 
guiding  the  stejis  of  the  consecrated  hosts.  There 
were  twelve  tribes  of  them.  First  of  all  came  Judah 
with  his  standard  aloft;  then  the  host  of  Issachar; 
then  another  standard,  and  the  host  of  Zebulon,  and 
so  on  till  the  vast  cavalcade  had  filed  along.  No 
wonder  these  sights  and  scenes  entered  into  poetry 
and  song,  and  gave  rise  to  such  expressions  as 
“ terrible  as  an  army  with  banners.” 

In  our  days,  though  in  a small  way,  kings  and 
captains  general  are  fond  of  imitating  these 
ancient  reviews.  We  had  one  such  in  our  own 
land  at  Washington  after  the  war,  when,  before  the 
commander-in-chief  and  the  assembled  heads  of 
the  nation,  with  drums  beating  and  colors  flying, 
there  marched  along  army  corps  and  army  columns 
of  the  great  republic. 

Nobody  that  saw  it  will  ever  forget  it.  We  will 
borrow  the  design  for  a missionary  use.  Let  us 
make  the  different  provinces  of  China  pass  in  re- 
view before  us,  one  at  a time,  each  with  its  vast 
army  of  living  men,  women,  and  children.  That 
will  be  better  than  giving  a lump  number.  You 
will  get  a more  detailed  impression. 

As  each  province  passes,  the  population  roster 
can  be  given  ; you  can  lump  them  afterwards.  Get 
ready  your  tents;  make  them  good  and  strong, 
able  to  endure  pelting  storms  and  changes  of  sea- 
son, for  it  is  no  holiday  work  you  now  enter  upon 
when  you  sit  down  to  review  the  procession  of 
Chinese  as  they  go  forth  according  to  their  armies 
and  according  to  their  provinces. 

Twelve  hours  a day  is  long  marching,  but  we 
must  keep  them  going  at  that  rate.  You  will  need 


4 


your  sleep,  and  time  for  rest,  for  even  a review  may 
become  wearisome,  so  the  other  twelve  hours  will 
be  for  yourselves.  We  must  keep  them  going 
Sundays  as  well,  for  this  is  only  a hypothetical 
march,  and  if  it  is  more  than  a Sabbath-day’s 
journey  for  business,  it  is  only  such  a Sabbath- 
day’s  journey  as  they  are  all  taking  to  eternity, 
and  you  along  with  them.  Besides,  on  the  Sab- 
baths you  can  think  differently  from  what  you  can 
on  other  days. 

You  can  think  of  all  these  persons  living  and 
dying  v ithout  Christ,  without  a Sabbath  here,  or  a 
hope  of  a Sabbath  hereafter.  And  you  can  think 
of  the  great  commission  and  of  Him  who  gave  it, 
and  how  long  since  He  gave  it,  and  of  how  many 
Chinese  have  lived  and  died  since  He  gave  it,  and 
many  other  Sunday  thoughts  can  come  into  your 
heads  on  that  day. 

Soldiers  marcliing  in  “ close  order  ” will  take 
about  two  and  a half  feet  to  each  man,  but  so 
much  time  will  be  required  that  we  must  put  them 
closer  than  that,  and  save  every  inch  we  can  and 
every  minute  of  time.  So  we  will  expect  them  to 
march  in  “lock  step  ” and  allow  only  a foot  and  a 
half  to  each  person.  In  one  mile  there  are  5,280 
feet.  At  lock  step  there  will  be  3,520  persons  to 
each  mile.  Each  million  of  them  will  stretch  along 
for  a distance,  say  of  284  miles. 

Twenty  miles  a day  is  good  work  for  a column 
on  the  march.  We  will  reckon  at  that,  — it  is  fast 
enough  for  a column  moving  on  to  judgment, — 
and  so  each  million  will  require  fourteen  days  in 
passing. 

And  now  all  is  ready.  When  shall  the  column 
form  and  the  review  begin  ? Let  us  have  a fine 
day  to  start  with,  even  though  wintry  ones  should 


5 


be  ahead.  We  will  pitch  on  the  first  day  of  June, 
wiih  the  whole  of  an  all  glorious  summer  before  us. 

/ Chihli,  which  means  “direct  rule.”  It  is  the 
capital  province  of  the  empire,  and  is  about  the  size 
of  the  State  of  Illinois.  Population,  27,990,871. 
They  will  reach  7,952  miles  nearly.  The  line  will 
stretch  from  the  steps  of  the  Capitol  at  Washing- 
ton, across  the  continent,  and  far  away  into  the 
middle  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  will  require  397 
days  in  passing. 

You  see  you  are  in  for  it.  You  thought  you 
would  sit  it  out  on  that  line  if  it  took  all  summer. 
But  summer  comes  and  summer  goes,  and  there 
you  are  still.  Lay  in  a stock  of  coal,  for  winter 
will  be  upon  you  before  a quarter  of  them  have 
gone  by.  Autumn  passes,  winter  pacses,  spring 
passes,  and  you  are  well  into  the  heat  of  a second 
summer  before  you  have  seen  the  last  of  that  col- 
umn, and  that  is  only  one  column. 

^ Shantung,  “ East  of  the  hills.”  Here  comes 
the  banner  of  the  second  province.  Population, 
28,958,764,  near  enough  to  twenty-nine  millions  to 
call  it  that.  They  will  reach  8,230  miles,  and  will 
take  41 1 days  to  pass.  The  previous  division  left 
you  in  July  of  the  second  year;  this  one  will  keep 
on  moving  till  August  of  the  third  year.  Your 
tents  will  be  mildewed  and  rotted  by  the  rain; 
better  build  yourself  a house,  and  lath  and  plaster 
it,  for  there  are  years  before  you  yet.  Your  second 
winter  will  be  upon  you  soon.  Is  it  not  solemn  to 
look  upon  them  as  they  move.^  And  how  many 
army  chaplains  ought  to  be  furnished  to  meet  the 
needs  of  such  a host?  If  it  were  an  army  of  the 
United  States  there  would  be  a chaplain  to  every 
thousand  men,  a thousand  chaplains  to  each  mill- 
ion, and  twenty-nine  thousand  for  them  all.  Of 


0 


course  we  could  not  and  would  not  send  any  such 
number  as  that;  but  then,  we  scarcely  send  any- 
body. I do  not  know  how  it  is  just  at  this  writing, 
but  a little  while  ago  there  was  not  one  preacher 
to  a million. 

^ Shansi,  “West  of  the  hills.”  This  is  an  inland 
province,  much  less  thickly  settled.  It  is  smaller 
than  Illinois,  but  it  has  14,004,210  people.  They 
will  not  occupy  you  so  long. 

They  will  reach  3,980  miles,  and  will  be  only  199 
days  in  passing.  In  all  these  ages,  since  Christ 
ascended,  nobody  has  taken  them  the  gospel.  Re- 
cently, those  Cambridge  men  went  there,  C.  T. 
Studd,  Stanley  Smith,  Montague  Beauchamp, 
and  others.  Away  off  in  those  mountain  regions, 
the  Lord  has  worked  with  them  with  signs  and 
wonders  following.  In  the  month  of  April  of  the 
past  year,  there  were  215  baptisms  ; yet  ten  years 
ago,  it  was  not  known  that  a man  of  the  whole  four- 
teen millions  had  ever  heard  of  Christ.  Woe  unto 
you,  Cambridge  and  Oxford ! for  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, the  men  of  Shansi  shall  rise  up  and  condemn 
you,  for  some  of  them  repented  under  the  first  ser- 
mon they  heard,  while  many  under  the  shadow  of 
your  old  cloistered  walls  have  heard  a thousand 
sermons,  and  are  not  so  near  the  kingdom  of  God 
as  when  you  first  began. 

<4  Honan,  “ South  of  the  river,”  contains  23,037,- 
^171  people.  Their  column  will  be  6,534  miles  long, 
••  and  will  require  326  days  to  pass  along.  For  forty- 
six  .Sundays,  one  after  another,  you  can  think  of 
them,  and  hear  missionary  chapters  in  the  Bible 
read  about  them,  with  the  missionary  application 
left  out. 

The  promises  made  to  the  whole  earth  are  lo- 
calized to  one’s  own  church  o:  association.  There 


7 


they  go, — without  hope  and  without  God  in  the 
world,  and  without  any  one  to  teach  them, — and 
yet,  in  the  United  States,  we  have  80,000  ministers 
of  evangelical  denominations,  multitudes  of  whom 
are  doing  nothing  but  just  listening  to  other  people 
preach. 

Kiangsu.  Population,  37,843,501 — enough  to 
stock  an  empire  of  itself.  Japan  is  an  empire,  yet 
it  has  not  so  many  people  as  that  one  province.  . 
Great  Britain  is  an  empire;  France  has  called  it- 
self an  empire;  Germany  is  an  empire  yet,  but  the 
population  of  none  of  them  is  much  larger. 

The  Kiangsu  part  of  the  procession  will  reach 
10,750  miles,  and  will  require  in  passing  537  days. 
Such  numbers  are  appalling!  While  they  are  filing 
along  by  the  million,  seventy-seven  Sabbaths  will 
pass  over  your  heads.  You  will  need  a chaplain 
of  your  own  to  preach  to  you  who  review  the  pro- 
cession. During  all  these  days  he  can  preach  to 
you  a whole  body  of  theology  upon  all  manner  of 
subjects  except  your  duty  to  save  the  perishing. 
Twice  during  that  time  will  “ Merrie  Christmas^’ 
come  and  go ; twice  will  you  sing  Christmas  carols, 
and  hear  about  the  birth  of  Him  who  was  given  to 
save  all  mankind.  Twice  will  you  eat  your  Christ- 
mas dinner,  and  send  around  among  your  friends 
your  costly  presents  of  superfluous  albums,  and 
yet  forget  to  send  a little  frankincense  and  myrrh 
to  those  breadless,  starving  hosts  whom  Christ  in 
vision  committed  to  your  trust. 

Nganhwui.  Here  is  another  one  nearly  as  ^ 
large.  Other  great  countries  are  groups  of  states 
and  districts ; China  is  a group  of  empires.  It  is 
a great  empire,  made  up  of  smaller  empires.  The 
population  of  this  province  is  34,168,054. 

This  line  will  extend  9,706  miles,  and  will  take 


8 


up  483  clays  of  your  time.  Ah,  but  those  empires 
do  not  make  so  much  stir  in  the  world  as  do  our 
small  States!  Yes,  just  now;  but  before  a half- 
century  has  rolled  away,  these  minor  empires  will 
be  heard  from.  They  hav'e  been  in  the  torpor 
of  a W'inter,  millenniums  long,  but  the  ice  age  is 
passing  by;  they  have  been  in  the  Nigban  of 
Buddhism,  but  the  mists  of  Buddhism  are  slowly 
lifting,  while  at  the  same  time  they  are  beginning 
to  settle  down  in  the  theosophic  circles  of  Boston 
and  London. 

You  may  not  introduce  Buddhistic  ritualism  in 
your  cultured  society,  but  you  will  surely  feel  the 
chill  of  Buddhistic  teaching.  The  darkness  of 
Egypt  has  been  upon  this  people  for  ages,  while 
for  ages  you  have  been  basking  in  the  sunshine 
of  Christianity,  which  has  been  shining  steadily 
upon  you  ever  since  those  early  centuries,  when 
foreign  missionaries  from  Rome  took  the  gospel 
to  your  Druid  fathers,  howling  and  dancing  around 
a human  sacrifice. 

Give  the  gospel  a chance  to  thaw  them  out  for 
just  one  century,  and  see  what  they  will  be,  and 
how  they  will  gain  on  the  nations  of  the  West. 
f Kiangsi,  “ West  of  the  river.”  Population, 
23,047,999,  making  a line  6,547  miles  long,  and 
requiring  327  days  to  pass  along.  They  keep  up 
their  solemn,  silent,  and  yet  awfully  voiceful  tread. 
Whither  are  they  bound?  Do  they  know  any- 
thing at  all  about  God  as  a Saviour?  Have  they 
heard  of  Him  who  was  set  forth  to  be  a propitia- 
tion for  the  sins  of  the  world  ? When  John  said 
those  words  through  the  Holy  Ghost,  had  he  in 
mind  the  whole  world,  or  did  he  refer  chiefly  to 
the  United  States  ? Why  are  the  preachers  of 


9 


the  cross  massed  in  such  solid  phalanx  in  the 
United  States,  and  so  few  over  here? 

Why  is  it  that  these  multitudes  of  Kiangsi  are 
left  to  themselves?  “No  man  careth  for  my 
soul,”  may  be  the  refrain  of  them  all.  Nobody 
except  a dozen  men  and  women  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission. 

Chehkiaxg.  Once  more,  enough  to  set  up  one  of 
the  “great  powers  ” of  Kurope  ; 26,256,784  people 
in  a line,  reaching  back  7,454  miles,  and  taking  up  in 
passing  372  days  of  your  precious  business  hours. 
“Am  I my  brother’s  keeper?”  Is  it  my  duty  to 
give  these  hosts  the  gospel,  even  in  small  meas- 
ure? lathe  legacy  of  Christ,  He  gave  us  the  riches 
of  glory,  and  at  the  same  time  he  laid  on  us  a re- 
sponsibility which  is  apart  of  the  will.  He  gave 
us  a goodly  land;  one  as  fair  as  the  sun  ever 
shone  upon.  He  was  ages  and  ages  in  getting  it 
ready,  in  covering  its  surface  with  a rich  soil,  in 
cleaving  it  with  rivers  of  water,  in  underlaying 
it  with  mines  of  the  richest  ores,  and  then  handed 
it  over  to  our  fathers.  What  for  ? That  we  might 
settle  down  in  idleness  and  luxurious  living;  or 
in  order  that  we  might  do  good,  as  well  as  enjoy 
it  ourselves?  We  are  enjoying  it.  Our  splen- 
did mansions  are  built,  our  costly  and  cushioned 
churches  are  lifted  heavenward,  even  when  we  are 
not;  but  the  other  feature  of  the  will,  which  refers 
to  “all  the  world,”  we  set  aside,  saying,  “ We  have 
enough  to  do  at  home.” 

Fuhkien,  “Happily  established.”  This  is  a 
hilly  region,  and  the  population  is  not  so  large  ; yet 
there  are  14,777,410  people,  forming  a line  4,198 
miles  long,  and  taking  up  209  days  in  passing. 
What  the  people  lack  in  quantity,  they  make  uj)  in 
quality.  This,  and  some  of  the  provinces  ^that 


10 


follow,  contain  the  most  vigorous  population  of 
China.  They  have  the  raw  material  for  the  high- 
est forms  of  national  greatness. 

Warriors,  statesmen,  scholars,  and  prosperous 
merchants  are  continually  rising  up  among  them. 
Young  brethren  in  the  ministry,  when  you  left  the 
seminary,  your  friends  told  you  that  men  of  your 
talents  are  needed  at  home,  and  that  somebody  of 
less  ability  will  do  to  go  abroad.  Now  and  then 
a man  has  succumbed  to  this  delicate  flattery  and 
has  been  sent  to  All  some  “important  city  church.” 
Once  there  he  has  found  himself  elbowed  right  and 
left,  and  with  no  greater  field  of  usefulness  than 
some  of  these  discarded  places  present.  Men  of 
your  talents  are  needed  at  home,  but  so  too  are 
they  needed  here,  where,  if  you  come,  you  will  find 
yourself  laying  foundations  for  a whole  denomina- 
tion to  build  upon.  Tell  me  if  it  is  not  a worthy 
field  for  your  abilities,  where  you  help  mould  the 
coming  faith  of  coming  millions. 

Hufeh  comes  next,  — another  great  nation  in 
itself, — 27,370,098  strong,  stretching  far  away,  the 
head  and  foot  of  the  line  7,775  miles  apart,  and 
consuming  more  than  a solid  year  in  the  march. 
“ Ah,  yes,  but  one  good  American  like  Dr.  blank 
is  worth  a hundred  Mongolians ; better  to  catch 
one  large  trout  than  a dozen  minnows.”  My 
brother,  who  taught  you  to  say  that.? 

“Cometh  this  persuasion  of  Him  that  calleth 
you.?”  Who  are  the  trout  and  who  are  the  min- 
nows before  God?  But  for  the  gospel,  where 
would  all  your  learned  doctors  be  to-day  ? 

I grant  that  there  is  such  a thing  as  strategy  in 
evangelizing,  and  shall  hope  some  day  to  speak  of 
it.  Even  the  New  Testament  exhibits  it,  but  you 
never  hear  the  apostle  saying  that  one  Jew  is  worth 


II 


a hundred  Syrophenicians.  But  this  is  wearisome 
and  heart  sickening.  The  heathen  are  long  and 
the  time  drags  heavily.  Would  that  the  display 
were  over.  It  is  a terrible  sight ; will  it  never  end  ? 
Yes,  we  can  hasten. 

Yonder  comes  the  yellow  imperial  banner  of 
Hunan,  “South  of  the  lake.”  Following  it  is  a 
file  of  18,652,507  human  beings  who  have  never 
heard  of  Christ.  They  reach  back  5,296  miles 
more.  O Lord,  deliver  us  from  indolence  and 
selfishness  1 

Kwangtung  next, — Kwangtung,  that  knows  so  ' ^ 
much  about  the  opium  traffic  and  the  coolie  trade, 
with  its  19,174,030,  and  extending  the  line  5,444 
miles  farther.  O Lord,  open  the  eyes  of  the 
ministers  in  our  pulpits,  and  of  all  teachers  in  our 
colleges  and  seminaries,  to  the  claims  of  Christ 
upon  them  to  preach  and  teach  a missionary 
gospel  1 

Kwangsi,  Yunnan,  and  Kweichow,  three  of 
them  the  smallest  of  them  all.  We  will  put  them 
together,  for  you  are  tired,  and  so  am  I,  of  this  in- 
terminable march.  All  told,  they  have  only  about 
18,000,000  between  them,  taking  up  over  5,000  miles 
more.  O Lord,  forgive  us  for  our  indifference  1 

SucHUEN,  one  of  the  great  provinces,  with  24,-  of 
435,078  people,  making  a line  over  6,000  miles  long. 

O Lord,  move  on  the  hearts  of  young  men  to 
give  themselves  at  once  to  this  work  ! Make  them 
willing  to  go  forth  and  preach  Christ  among  the 
heathen.  Make  them  willing  to  go  without  wait- 
ing to  be  driven. 

Shensi,  with  10,207,256,  and  a line  reaching 
over  2,000  miles.  O Lord,  loosen  the  money  bags 
of  the  people  ! Make  them  to  send  forth  their 
rusted  coin  to  help  save  the  nations. 


12 


“ How  shall  they  hear  without  a preacher,  and 
how  shall  they  preach  except  they  be  sent?” 

Ic  Kansuh.  It  is  nearly  over.  Here  is  the  last 
column,  15,193,125  strong,  and  reaching  over  4,000 
•miles  farther.  What  a pageant!  but  it  has  been 
the  pageantry  of  death.  O Lord,  have  compassion 
upon  the  multitudes,  for  they  have  nothing  to  eat! 
O Lord,  in  our  own  land  there  is  bread  and  to 
spare,  but  it  comes  not  hither!  Bless  the  barley 
loaves  of  thy  servants,  and  make  them  feed  at 
least  a few  of  these  provinces. 

This  procession  has  been  over  one  hundred 
thousand  miles  long,  and  it  has  occupied  more 
than  thirteen  years  in  passing. 

While  they  have  been  on  this  move  one  third  as 
many  more  have  been  born  into  the  world  to  follow 
after. 

O Lord  of  the  harvest,  awake  a slumbering 
church  and  a lethargic  ministry  out  of  this  tornor 
of  death ! • ' 

SwATOw,  January,  1888. 


AMERICAN  BAPTIST  MISSIONARY  UNION,  BOSTON. 


